A Tribute to Memory
by In.Light.Syrup
Summary: // Smoldering blue eyes gazed back at me. "I think..." he paused. "I think I died. 12 years ago." // When the shinigami decided to mess around with fate, the result is somebody the world will never expect. // Yondaime lives //
1. Memory

_Memory__ n_

**1. Ability to retain knowledge**: the ability of the mind or person to retain learned information and knowledge of past events and experiences and to retrieve that information and knowledge  
_- Have a good memory for faces_

**2. Somebody's stock of retained knowledge**: somebody's stock of retained knowledge and experience  
- _Recite the poem from memory_

**3. Retained impression of event**: the knowledge or impression that somebody retains of a person, event, period, or subject  
- _Memories of a happy childhood_

**4. Recollection**: the act or an instance of remembering

_**Within living memory**__: in the time experienced and remembered by people now alive_

_**- - - - - - - - - ~TTM~ - - - - - - - - -  
**__  
Chapter 1__  
__Tribute to Memory_

He didn't know when it started, when it began. When it ended, when it stopped. When exactly did he opened his eyes, and saw? (_actually saw) _All that he knew was that he wasn't where he was suppose to be, wherever that could've or suppose to have been.

_(In and out)_

The sky was the purest blue. (_A color I saw everyday, in the many reflections) _So blue, it enveloped the planet in a protective shield, always there, but never reachable. The sun, a blinding bright jewel on the blue, beat down on the ground with warmth that grew and grew until it became a unbearably temperature. Hot, excruciatingly hot and dry.

It didn't bother him, he didn't even take notice of it.

_(In and out_)

What… was he doing?

_(In and out)_

Breathing? Impossible. (_Impossible) _That didn't make sense. (_But how would you know?)_

Blue eyes _(like the sky, like the ocean) _slowly came back into focus, readjusting to the brightness with the agility of one who's lived years and years in the darkest caves. Long and slender fingers gripped the sand, course and gritty against his pale skin, and pushed him upwards into a sitting position.

The first thing he noticed were long silky black strands of hair cascading in straight locks around his shoulders, so long that they touched his arms and hands with a ghost-like velvety touch. There was a feeling of wrongness about it but it faded as quick as it came. Guarded eyes, squinting automatically against the sun, darting left and right, but all he could see was sand, stretching miles and miles into the horizon. The sight took his breathe away, and it was only the warning of his quickened heartbeat that made him remember to breathe again.

_(Heartbeat?)_

The feeling of wrongness came back, twice as strong and bringing with it a sense of something -fear- that made his pulse quicken and his breathe hitch. He could feel the sensation tingling across his skin as he staggered upright, his feet swaying on the unsteady ground. They sunk in the sand and it shifted under his weight, sending the small grains flying down the dunes.

Is this a dream, a nightmare? (_Or were all those years a dream?) _He walked on, his feet taking unsteady steps, making him pause at the strange feeling of pins and needles digging into his feet. Numb, he was numb. _Why? _The thoughts came into his mind but left as quickly as they came, his mind too dead like the rest of him to comprehend it.

Exhaustion was the logical result from walking on for hours and hours, but it never came. All he had was pent up energy, no, the more accurate term would be lack of energy, that he had no idea how to use. (_you were suppose to be here. you were never suppose to be here) _He kept his eyes, blurred into a vacant gaze, up at the midday bright blue sky, this time not even affected in the least by the glare of the sun. Thus, he didn't notice as his feet, once trudging deep into the sand, and shifting on the loose grains with every step, started to grow more steadier, until they literally began to walk on top of them, as a shinobi would on water, or ceilings, yet he never noticed. His trailing footsteps appeared to have suddenly stopped in the middle of the dunes behind him.

Time past by too quickly _(always so slowly) _for him to acknowledge it. The feeling of exhaustion or deprivation of _anything_ didn't come after all, so there was no reason for him to stop in the first place. An unnatural stillness burned into his eardrums, but there was something else along with it that he, for one, didn't care to understand.

But he finally stopped, his whole body freezing subconsciously and not making a single sound, when he noticed something. The sun, once bright and hot against the sky, had fallen lower and lower, until it was almost swallowed into the horizon. The sky, once blue and familiar, _(so familiar) _had mellowed into other colours: pink, and orange, and red. (_Red.)_

_(Blood red eyes, and slit pupils.)_

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a sudden spinning sensation, and found himself face to face with a pissed off girl.

"-ou, who are you doing here?"

He tore his eyes reluctantly away from the unnervingly beautiful sunset, and finally noticed the pair of dark green eyes staring at him with guarded curiosity and something else he didn't recognize. Eyes travelled slowly to her arm, which was gripping his shoulder, and it took less than a second before he pushed it off. He slowly backtracked a step, and took a curious closer look at her. When did she appear? She was a young woman, with chestnut brown hair tied up in four pig tails; a kind of punk, and spiky hairstyle that he could honestly say he's never seen before. (_Right?)_

"I'll ask again, what is your name, foreigner?" she demanded quietly with a strong voice. The teen seemed headstrong, one used to intimidating, especially with the metre long Japanese war fan pointed directly at his neck.

He gazed curiously at the iron fan scratching against his neck, not worried at the least. Despite her seemingly confident voice, her hands were shaking ever so slightly, causing the bladed tips to cut into his smooth skin, sending a small bead of bright red blood to run down his neck and down his collar bone, contrasting sharply against the pale skin like blue would to orange. (_So opposite and different that they complimented each other perfectly) _A war fan was highly uncommon, and he briefly wondered who had the craftsmanship to make it, for it was beautifully done. But the most significant thing was the weapon itself, she had natural wind chakra. An exceedingly uncommon nature.

He felt a sudden urge to smile, as if in acknowledgement to something, _anything_, but his face remained impassive, a blank slate to the world, refusing to show something so casual, to show a shred of kindness. _(they were cold, and ruthless. It was natural to have to adapt to the circumstances)_ A part of him wondered why exactly he was scrutinizing her so carefully, but he dismissed the thought. (_After all, I've always done it for years)_

"Are you listening to me?!"

'No' was the first thing that came to mind, and he actually opened his mouth to reply but paused. If he said no… that would mean that he _replied_ a no, meaning that he _was _listening.

"Maybe." He answered finally. His voice was quiet, and hoarse, as with one unaccustomed to talking, but had a slight singsong quality that gave it both a soft and friendly feel, yet with undertones that felt just unnatural and eerie. The instant he spoke, the sound sent goose bumps crawling up and down her spine, and he could see her eyes flickering with understandable unnerve. The girl tightened her hold on the fan. Some would think if he was mentally mocking her, and the green eyed girl seemed to think so as well, for she bristled somewhat despite her nervousness.

"Well, listen up foreigner." she snarled impatiently. "You are on Suna territory, so state your business, or… or-"

"Feel your wrath?" He piped up helpfully. He couldn't help it, and seeing her flustered face, _(she would always tease me when I blushed) _a bubbly laugh escaped from him that surprised both of them and instantly broke the tension. A small smile broke out from the girl's face despite the situation, but the fan stayed poised on his neck.

"I'm sorry." he admitted, and his eyes drew back up to the sky. He was intrigued by the changing colors, and as much as he would love to stare at them, he felt a sudden urge to answer her. "I think-" he stopped, casting around in his mind for the right word. "I think that I'm lost," he finished. _(I'm not suppose to be here.)_

The girl seemed to contemplate his answer, before schooling her face into a cool expression. "Are you a shinobi?" she questioned.

_Shinobi. _His heart thumping painfully against his chest, _(panicalarmfrustrationfearconfusion) _but he didn't recognize the word. "A what?" he asked.

"Guess not." She murmured, before lowering her fan, and attaching it to her back with the ease of one who has had it for years. She gave him a small calculating glance, before turning around. "Come on, I'll lead you to the village, Sunagakure." she paused. "And don't you dare think of doing anything."

"Sunagakure." he echoed. A small alarm rang shrilly in his mind, and there was a smallest possible intake of breathe. "That's not…" he faltered, his eyes darting across the acres and acres of sand, before shaking his head slightly. _(Not possible…)_

The girl paused, and glanced behind her, an irritable expression on her face. "Are you coming or not?"

Piercing blue eyes drifted off from the ground, and settled on her face. He hesitated, and the barest glint of _something_ appeared in his eyes, but disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Yeah."

_**- - - - - - - - - ~TTM~ - - - - - - - - - **_

Temari didn't know _what_ to think. When Baki-sensei signed her up for noon patrol duty, she almost protested. Walking around in the desert in the midday Suna sun wasn't pleasant at the least. It was with a smile that she took a last round through the eastern dunes. After all, it was the last few hours of her patrol, and there was a stunning sunset peaking out from the cloudless sky. The eastern dunes weren't normally travelled on, because of the higher risks of poisonous scorpions that appeared there, so when she noticed a person walking _leisurely_ through the desert, and _barefoot_ to boot, the first thing that came to mind was: _'Who the hell does this guy think he is?!' _

She had stopped in front of him, her fan flashed out in front of her, and demanding what he was doing here. It took all she had not to show a smug grin. She had looked damn intimidating in her opinion, and for a split second, wished she had a camera.

What she didn't expect was for the guy to ignore her. He had been staring up at the sky, a utterly fascinated look on his face, and passed her by silently with nary a glance. Her good mood officially ruined, Temari had grabbed his shoulder before flipping him around to face her.

The first thing she had saw were surprised blue eyes. It was definitely the most deepest and most beautiful shade of blue that she had ever seen. The second she saw them, they reminded her of the Suna sky on a bright noon day. Just so _uplifting_, they were the only good thing that came out from the midday heat.

It had felt like eternity and more before she had torn her eyes off from that deep blue, and took an actual look at him. The man appeared to be in his early twenties, with long, spiky midnight black hair reaching his shoulders that either hung in silk-like straight locks around his face or spiking up towards the sky, with the bangs falling into his eyes.

A speckled light grey sleeveless shirt hung loosely from his wiry shoulders, the frayed ends flapping slightly in some unknown breeze. Long baggy black jeans wrapped around his legs in a slack hold, with the ends dragging slightly against the sand. They almost completely covered his bare feet, with only the tips of his toes showing. Overall, it was a very drab and dull clothing choice, but the dark colors managed to somehow make his blue eyes pop out even more if possible, and she had to resist to lock her eyes with that smoldering gaze.

His arms were bare to the world, and showed flawless pale, pale skin over firm muscles. Such a complexion was unusual for one travelling in a desert, but it gave him a vaguely beautiful yet unearthly appearance.

Temari had once read in a book that pale skin suggested a person of deviance and darkness, and while before she would've scoffed at such absurdity, she now agreed wholeheartedly. The man in front of her radiated a feeling she just couldn't explain. Something off, or wrong, but _right _at the same time.

It wasn't just the peculiar feeling that was off, there was also something strange about the guy himself. At first, she had thought he was deaf, but he wasn't, he just had the attention span of a duck. He would appear to be considering her questions, before continuing to stare at her fan with a blank expression and she had to repeat her questions twice before he would answer. It was _unnerving. _

She had to admit, though, that when he laughed, she had to fight back a large blu- er, her shock. When they were talking, (if you could call it talking) his face was always stuck in this expression that seemed emotionless, but wasn't. It was like… like as if he just couldn't decide on what emotion he was suppose to show. That alone unnerved her, along with his voice. Honestly, it reminded her of a mask, designed to show something yet nothing at the same time. The tension before was high, but it broke at that laugh, for it actually sounded human, and as pissed off as she was, she couldn't help but smile.

Temari had first thought that he was a shinobi, but the genuine shock on his face proved her otherwise. The guy had something, or everything, about him that Temari could shamelessly admit to be unforgettable. He was a mystery, that was for sure.

Or insane, she wasn't sure which.

Now, they were walking side by side back towards the village, and it couldn't be more awkward. There was complete silence except for the sound of sand shifting beneath their feet. Temari glanced down and, to her surprise, there was only one set of tracks behind them, hers. She gave the man a suspicious look. He was still staring up at the darkening sky. It was approaching twilight, and they've been walking for hours, and it was the only thing he could look at.

"So.." Temari said out loud, breaking the silence.

"So….." he echoed, cocking his head slightly.

Temari was surprised at the slight scornful undertone in his voice. Was it just her, or was he mocking her? Temari took one look at that small smirk, and huffed. "Oh shut up."

A pause. He was smirking again. Temari's eye twitched.

"What's your name?" Temari asked suddenly, gritting her teeth. _Anything_ to wipe that smirk off his face.

He froze for less than a second. It was nearly impossible to tell unless you were carefully watching him, but his muscles tensed just a little bit, something that could've almost been dismissed as nothing. But Temari was a careful person by nature, and she spotted it immediately.

"Hey, can you hear me there?" Temari questioned, dark green eyes narrowing.

He didn't reply, his eyes still fixed on the sky.

Temari fell into silence. If he didn't want to tell her his name, that was okay, it was his business. Suspicious, yes, but…

Temari was pulled out of her thoughts by a sudden humming. She blinked owlishly, before glancing to her right to her companion, who was humming the strangest tune she's ever heard before. It didn't even look like as if he knew he was humming at all, for he was still staring at the dim, hazy sky.

_Drip. Drip. _

But she wouldn't really call it a tune. She hasn't heard that particular one in her entire life, and as soothing as his voice was, she really did not like that song. It was hummed in the same way a small child would as he would read aloud a poem. The poem itself was artistic, but it was voiced with no emotion, no passion, as one would read from a dictionary, and not a song. Dead but beautiful all the same.

She hated it.

_Drip. Drip. _

Temari's gaze was brought down to the sand below and behind them, where a long line of red dots could be seen side by side her trail of footsteps. _What…? _Then she saw it. Blood, running down his knuckles and falling onto the sand, staining it a dark angry crimson. She took a incredulous look behind them, and saw the long line of red stains retreating off as far as she could see.

Eyes wide, she stared at the long trail before her eyes darted back towards his bloody fists. Why hasn't she noticed it before? Behind the dry and dusty taste of the desert lay a vaguely familiar coppery smell that could only be from him.

And the bastard was still humming that dead tune, while his fists clenched tighter and tighter, the nails digging into his skin deep enough to draw blood. And Temari wanted to say something, _anything_ to get him to stop humming, or bleeding-

"I got one." he said suddenly.

"W-what?" Temari stammered, tearing her gaze off his bleeding fists and onto his face, which held a slightly satisfied expression.

The man gave her a look as if the answer was obvious. "I've decided on a name," he announced.

"What do you mean, decided?" She almost winced when her voice cracked.

"My name is Raidyn," he said, and he let out a soft laugh. "It means thunder god. I don't know why, but it's really funny."

Raidyn laughed again, and Temari wondered for a second time if the man -Raidyn- was insane. The laugh faltered, making her eyes flicker to his, noting with alarm the swarming swirls of emotion, a whirlpool of confusion and _anguish_. There were no words to describe the pain she saw in those molten blue irises.

"I don't remember." he said finally. And just like that, his face schooled back into a blank slate, control and aloofness crashing back down to his reality. Temari let out a breathe she wasn't aware that she was holding in, and steadied herself.

"Remember…?"

"Everything. Anything. Nothing at all."

The sun disappeared, swallowed in by the horizon. The last tendrils of sunlight carried weakly across the desert before dying in the darkness. A cold and unmerciful wind blew suddenly through the pair, who had long ago stopped walking.

"Nothing?" Temari's voice was only a quiet whisper, but it broke through the silence like glass.

There was a long pregnant pause, before he answered. "Red. But it meant so many things."

Raidyn smiled, a small poignant smile but a smile nonetheless. It took less than a second before Temari realized that this was the first time she had ever seen the man smile, but by that time, he had already started walking again.

_Drip. Drip._

**-**

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_Pictures frozen in time, are coming clearer. But right now, they're still blurry. _

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Okaay then. I'm not sure if I should place this as a oneshot or continue. Review please, I'd really like your feedback on this! (this is my first fanfic after all hehehe)

update: if I was going to place this as a oneshot, I would make changes to the story idea, and place it as another story. so NO, this chapter is NOT the actual oneshot. just wanted to make that clear to people.

Just in advance: you may notice that this has many similarities to Reality's Illusion, by Shadow Rebirth, but that is completely coincidental. I for one, worship the ground Shadow Rebirth walks on, (big fan, big fan…) but will never, never steal his/her stories. That would just be incredibly insulting. For one, RL is a time travel with Naruto as the main, and the only similarities are that they both wake up in the desert, and the _(bracket flashback thing.) _I had no idea how else to place the flashbacks, so well, yeah. (if you're reading this Shadow Rebirth, can you msg me to tell me if it's okay to use the _bracket flashback thing_, because I feel sort of uneasy using them.)

And if you haven't figured it out yet, the main is Namikaze Minato, who is alive. The setting is somewhere around 12 years after the Kyuubi incident.

So click that button below and let me know what ya think ;)

~ L. Syrup

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	2. Desert

Desert (1) _n_

**1. Dry area: **an area of land, usually in very hot climates, that consists only of sand, gravel, or rock with little or no vegetation, no permanent bodies of water, and erratic rainfall

**2. Deprived place: **a place or situation that is devoid of some desirable thing or overwhelmed by an undesirable thing

**3. Lifeless place: **a place devoid of life

Desert (2) _v_

**1. Abandon place: **to leave a place with no one staying behind

**2. Abandon person: **to leave somebody, especially somebody to whom a duty or obligation is owed

**3. Be unavailable to somebody: **to be absent from somebody when needed

_**- - - - - - - - - ~TTM~ - - - - - - - - -**_

_Chapter 2  
Tribute to the Desert_

"Confirmed case of Dissociative Fugue, or Fugue state, also known as amnesia or memory loss, and minor head trauma. No sign of fatigue or deprivation. Possible case of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder, all of which are common signs of severe memory loss."

"Any idea of how exactly this man got that way?"

"Truthfully, no idea. Physically, he's the perfect example of health, if a bit on the pale side. There were no signs of a fall, or a fight of some sort. We… haven't had a case like this before."

"….Thank you, Mikazuki-san. You may leave."

The doctor bowed low before exiting out the door.

There was a brief but dramatic pause before everything erupted into an explosion of noise.

Baki stared silently down at the wooden table underneath his arms, tracing the swirls and patterns in the wood with his eye, the one not curtained with a cloth, and burning them into his mind. It was the only way he was able to tune out the indignant squabbles of the other council members.

Ten or so voices that he would rather not hear.

The Council met often, usually to discuss whatever politicians with seats of power do. Nowadays, Baki felt that the Council was, for lack of word, slacking off. Badly. There was the current crisis of the state of the current 'peace treaty' that became more unstable with every day. Even as the leaders of every country signed it one by one, each and every shinobi on either sides all knew that it wouldn't last. This peace was temporary, and war was inevitable. And by every meeting, the Kazekage would become more drawn into himself, and there would be a savage glint in his eyes that gave Baki a feeling of dread.

The previous meeting about the alliance with the Sound village was still heavy in his mind. It was on of the few times that Baki had ever protested to, as he was usually the one that kept silent and calm during the meetings. Not that he was a pushover, but as a heir to a prominent clan, a widely respected face in a crowd, and his proficiencies with wind chakra and its combinations with kenjutsu, he was guaranteed a seat in the Council. There was just something about the leader of the Sound that tugged at the paranoid part of his mind. Just something about him that made him feel like as if worms were crawling under his skin. _That man couldn't be trusted_. Unfortunately, he was overruled.

And instead of such great troubles, the Council would discuss trivial matters, like the number one frequent topic, the jinchuuriki of the one-tailed demon Tanuki, also known as Sabuka no Gaara, the _son _of the current Kazekage. How many missions did it go on today? How many people did the demon manage to kill? What is the state of the jinchuuriki's mind? Would it stay loyal to our village?

He frowned, just a slight lowering of his mouth. Nothing that would cause alarm. Not that it would look out of place, with the angry voices of the other members, slowly building in volume, arguing with each other and going back and forth faster than any ping pong ball ever could. Just the thought of Gaara, one of his genin team, -his _genin_ _team_- turned sadistic and unstable by his own people, which including his father, sent a feeling of revulsion through him, one that he immediately squashed, before anybody could sense it.

Baki's eyes froze over a specific small pattern in the wood, almost invisible unless one looked closely. He traced it silently with a worn finger.

Such supposedly trivial matters were held as a constant topic for more than one meeting, and in his opinion, made it like as if the Council of Suna, placed to keep order and stability over the country, had twindled down from a well respected organization, to some sort of tween girl gossip column. Topic of the day? _Breathtakingly _handsome blue eyed male with rumoured amnesia enters Sunagakure under suspicion of evil _spy. _If it weren't for the stern composure he had mastered over years of ANBU service, he might've laughed out loud.

The thought went to an abrupt halt as his more paranoid mind went into gear. Temari had talked enthusiastically about the raven haired enigma over and over again for the past few days. And each time it had gotten harder to keep a straight face.

And so, overloaded with forced curiosity, Baki had seen the man at the hospital, only to find him staring into the glass of water on his lap, utterly fascinated with something he didn't really want to comprehend. It had taken _this_ close to dismissing him as a non-threat, _this_ close to just walk away and leave his fate to somebody else's hands.

He had no idea why he had walked in the room.

_The man hadn't even twitched when he entered, and his long black bangs fell into his eyes as he stared down at the glass of water on his lap. The room was uncomfortably quiet, the only sound were of bandaged fingers drumming needlessly against the glass, replacing the silence with a strangely hypnotic rhythm, and creating ripples on the water inside. _

_There was a long but somehow meaningful moment of silence. _

"_Do you like the sand, shinobi-san?" A quiet voice, just slightly more than a whisper, but it was heard clearly in the small enclosed room. _

That conversation had been on his mind for the days since he's been here, and he had no idea why. There was just something about him that was… Wrong? Familiar? Creepy? He had spent more of the last few days casting around for the right word until he had found it.

_Powerful. _The kind that gives such spine-tingling fear that makes you sweat like some newbie genin and run away as fast as you can. Yet that same power made you just pause, even for just a moment, and look back, for some strange reason that you couldn't explain with words. It made Baki wonder just who exactly the man had been in his past life. Was he really just an unusual looking traveller, or something completely different?

BAM. One of the council members slammed his fist onto the table, abruptly breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Just listen here!" he roared. The other members faltered slightly, before simultaneously giving the man all, or at least most, of their attention. Baki looked up slightly and met his eyes. The man must've seen the resignation and annoyance in his eyes, something he couldn't, for the life of him, spare the effort to hide, and they exchanged meaningful glances before he continued.

"I have seen the man. Raidyn." he said, as calmly as he could. "He appears to be a traveller, and hasn't protested to being at the hospital." The man held up his hand at the sudden roar of voices. "Even if this man is a spy, he has gone about this the wrong way. Just by entering our village has he come into immediate suspicion, especially with his medical records. I would doubt that the enemy would send an inexperienced spy to our midst, and so, either way, we cannot refuse a traveller because of a possibility. This man included."

The man calmly sat back down again. There was a low murmur of agreements, and Baki gave a stiff nod towards him, which he returned. Suddenly, another member rose up dramatically from his seat, his eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at the other man.

"You do not count the facts, _Hitoshi-san_." He hissed. "Doctors have confirmed well developed chakra coils from this Raidyn, ones that you could say are more than above average." Baki raised an eyebrow, he hadn't known that information. "Temari-dono has also reported of him showing casual use of sand walking. You cannot surely dismiss that?" He sniffed.

Eyes flashed dangerously from the other side of the table. "Ever more reason why this man cannot be a spy. To openly show his abilities is suicide, and it is not common for travellers to have some basic shinobi knowledge to defend themselves."

"But sand walking?" Another member retorted. "An ability like that is only commonly practiced here at Suna. Only one look at this man's appearance would tell you that he does not belong in the desert."

"And this amnesia," The man beside him muttered. "A Fugue state. Does anybody actually know how exceedingly rare that condition is? For one to have it without any sign of injury, or trauma is highly suspicious, no?"

"And what if it is just coincidence, then? What if we are all just worrying over nothing?"

"We are shinobi! We have a right to be overly cautious!"

"Or _maybe _you've become paranoid with old age."

"Why you-"

"-Why not just kill the man? If his condition proves true, we would do a great mercy for him anyway."

Baki narrowed his eyes, and spoke for the first time in the meeting. "Are you actually serious, Keiji-san? Has a position of power corrupted you enough as to throw life away at the slightest suspicion?"

"You go too far, Ba-"

"_Enough_."

Everybody quietened, before turning their heads to the only person who hasn't spoken yet during the meeting, the Kazekage himself. He had remained quiet, listening to the endless banters of the rest of the members, his devious mind working at full speed. The respected leader of the Sand folded his fingers together, his face veiled over by a curtain of cloth hanging low from his hat.

"We cannot just count this man as a traveller with the most… _ridiculous coincidences_." Baki could practically hear the sneer in his voice. "Once he leaves the hospital, place him with Temari-"

It was a reflex reaction, as Baki stood up. "But sir!" He exclaimed in shock.

The Kazekage glared at him, along with other members of the Council. Baki bit his lip before slowly sitting back down.

"Excuse my insolence, Kazekage-sama." he muttered.

The Kazekage continued to stare at him, as if he was an interesting or amusing specimen. "Be sure it doesn't happen again Baki." Baki nodded stiffly, and there was a long pause before he continued. "As I was saying, place the man with Temari and Kankuro. They will, over the days, check him for any… suspicious activities. If there aren't any, then we can just leave the man be."

"But…" The Council members leaned forward slightly in their seats. "If there are any, then the man will have an accidental meeting with…" A pause. "The jinchuuriki."

_Baki had seen the man in a medical photo. The man had looked out of place with the cheery warm green wall behind him, with his abnormally pale skin, and long, spiky hair that framed his face with dark locks, the colour so black it seemed to suck all the light from around it. But what got him were the eyes, a shade of blue so vibrant it seemed to pierce his soul even from a photo. Such a colour was unnatural. _

_And so, when those eyes met his dark ones, he wasn't surprised when he was the first to look away. _

There was a scatter of low murmurs, as the members consulted with each other, but the Kazekage's statement was fair, and soon, as Baki tensely scanned the crowd, there were approving looks coming from most of the faces.

"A vote." The Kazekage announced. "Those approving for this decision, raise their hand."

One by one, hands flew up into the air, steady and high, as the faces glanced at each other with smug looks. Until there was only Baki left.

"Baki-san?" He looked up and met Hitoshi's eyes, concern and urgency clear in his eyes. _Raise your hand_, Hitoshi seemed to whisper at him. Baki broke off and scanned the room, before settling on the Kazekage, who was still staring at him. As the entire Council stared at him.

He still hesitated.

Baki felt sick at the revulsion and prejudice to his student, the Council members' indifference from the hidden disgust from Gaara's _father_. But most of all, he was worried about his students, all of them, for having to interact with a possible spy. Just minutes ago, he would've dismissed the silent accusations to the traveller, but now his students were involved.

Despite his strict and cold persona, Baki cared for his students, and with anything concerning them, the paranoid part of his mind increased all the more dire possibilities, until it screamed spy shrilly in his mind like a mantra. How could a father stick his son and daughter with a potentially dangerous spy? To talk with him? Interact with him? _Live_ with him? Just the thought made Baki almost shuddered with revulsion all over again.

"Baki-_san_?" The Kazekage's voice, light and casual, (but dangerous, still dangerous) broke through Baki's thoughts.

Baki didn't look up, for he would surely see the hate and prejudice clear in their eyes. All of their eyes.

_Gaara. _

If this Raidyn turned out to be a spy, it would be up to Gaara to kill him. Baki knew that it wouldn't make a difference. The numbers were increasing everyday, and already far gone into the triple digits, but somewhere in his mind he hoped that it would matter.

_Kuso. If there actually is a God out there somewhere… Don't make the man a spy. _

Baki traced that small pattern on the wooden table with a finger, lost in his thoughts. It was shaped like a small heart.

He raised his hand.

_**- - - - - - - - - ~TTM~ - - - - - - - - -**_

Raidyn's eyes darted around the hospital room. White ceilings, white walls, and a small bed with a single slick metal table in the corner. The room had a slight musty smell to it, like the metallic taste of dried blood mixed with a strong chlorine, hanging over the bed, the sheets and in the air, with the only relief being the odd breeze that passed through a large crack on the only single-paned window on his right. Strangely enough, the enclosed hospital room didn't bother him in the slightest. The eyes stopped briefly on a small dark stain on the corner of his bed sheets _(blood?) _before settling on the glass of water in his lap.

The room was silent, except for the slender bandaged fingers drumming needlessly against the clear glass, creating ripples inside. The silence was uncomfortable, a sensation he somewhat relieved to feel familiar. Silence was the coming before the storm, the warning before the rest. His fingers drummed faster.

Unfamiliar emotions came to him more frequently these past few days. His mind, once numb and uncomprehending, was slowly but surely coming together, piece by piece. But he was still drowning in tar, deep and viscous, tearing and pulling him under despite his efforts.

The emotions still came. Detachment. Amusement. Concern. But most of all, confusion. Somehow, this tar was suppose to be him. Dark, sludge-like, and black. A large lake of tar that was previously deep, clean, and clear. _(water?) _He would stare deep onto the surface, and on the dark and black reflections, he would sometime see a spark of color. Yellow. Bright and spiky yellow, like colourful quartz pieces. White. It swirled in long strands, radiating amusement and… affection? Blue. Curious and innocent, the color would stare back, demanding something he couldn't understand.

There were glimpses of trees, disappearing as fast as they came. They grew longer and taller. Some fell into jagged pieces. Some withered into pitiful black sticks, before deteriorating into dust. Some burnt to the ground. But most of them continued to grow until they would shed colourful leaves that danced in the wind before settling on the ground.

And then he would see a hand _(his hand?) _that rose up, and the falling leaves would briefly rest on it's palm before floating off again.

Then everything would flash into a startling red.

Eyes came back into focus, still staring underneath his long bangs at the ripples in the water. So clear and different from his mind. The needless tapping of his fingers slowly brought him out of his thoughts.

Questions. So many questions. No answers.

People came and went through the only door on his left. Nurses. Mostly nurses. All female. _(Another question) _

The door creaked open, and this time it wasn't a nurse. Footsteps, too quiet, too balanced. Raidyn glanced at him under his bangs. Male, sturdy and tall. A shinobi. Two dusty red tattoos on his right cheek. A turban of some sort that covered half of his face.

Raidyn searched his face, before looking back down, bored. It took less than a second to see that the man was no threat.

A small movement, too distinct for the man to pick up. Nevertheless, the small action caused a grain of sand to fall from his long black hair, supposedly caught there by the desert wind, and dropping into the glass of water with only the slightest disturbance on the surface as evidence to its fall. He watched curiously as it sank slowly down to the bottom of the glass, where it rested.

The desert. A fierce unreasonable hatred and despair washed through him, although his outward expression remained blank. The sun, so blindingly bright, excruciatingly hot. The sensation sent adrenaline through his body, which he ignored.

This feeling just made him even more confused. The anger was unjust, for he could not remember any reason for him to hate the place. _(rememberrememberremember)_

The despair, however, was clear in his eyes, reflected from the water in the clear glass. Seen beneath the repeated ripples, reflected from the surface. Raidyn met his reflections gaze, identical, blue, _blue_ eyes staring at each other, and just like that, a voice in his mind screamed at him.

Warning bells.

The feeling of wrongness returned.

_(I'm not suppose to be here)_

A whisper in the darkest corners of his mind. Another voice, an inner voice. Despite his blank face, his mind was in turmoil, and it took everything from his half-aware mind to snap himself out of it. His fingers tapped even faster than before, an action that usually soothed him _(Fingers drummed on the handle of his kunai, but he hardly took notice of it) _but did little for him now. No, what did help him was the cool clean air that managed to filter from the cracked window next to him, caressing his cheek in a loving hold. _(I'm here)_

And despite his mask, an emotionless shell that covered him from the world, despite the fact that it went against everything that he had been doing for years, _(…Years?) _another smile tugged at his lips, threatening to break the glass mask that was his eternal expression. Something is happening, for he hasn't had a reason to this in a long time. _(It was natural to have to adapt to the circumstances. The desert is the opposite of everything I've always seen. Bright. Dry. Hot. Blue. Of course something is happening)_

_(Readapting to old habits?)_

Nevertheless, despite his protests that it was just a whim, a smile broke through, and so, while the first one was poignant, the second was curious. "Do you like the sand, shinobi-san?"

The man seemed to be startled at the question, for he shifted weight on his left foot, before replying vaguely, "I was born and raised in the sand."

"Well…" Raidyn began, his smile growing. "I really, _really _hate the desert."

And just like that, the despair shifted, and the confusion was pulled to the side, as he registered the slightly bewildered look on the shinobi's face. _(The questions will have to wait for now) _The man didn't seem to have any idea what to reply to that, Raidyn himself didn't know what to say to that, and stayed silent.

Raidyn chanced a look up, but the man's eyes seemed to be riveted on his bandaged fingers. He frowned slightly. He had seen how uncomfortable the green eyed girl had been when he was humming, so he tried a new habit. It appeared that that didn't work either. The fingers stopped abruptly, and the man's eyes snapped up. Intrigued blue eyes met those dark ones, but the man looked away a second later, and averted to the ground.

Another upturn of the lips. He was smiling a lot lately. "She didn't like the humming, so I stopped, but I couldn't help myself." Raidyn explained lightly.

"Humming?" The man asked gruffly, but with a note of curiosity.

_(It took a while to notice that I was staring at the rock-strewn ground, wet and slick from a red liquid that dripped down onto my feet. Blood, apparently. A hand caressed my colourful locks, long and firm but surprisingly gentle. A voice carried through the stony expanse, She was singing something, but the words blurred in my ears. I lost consciousness)_

One of his fingers twitched. "She called it, **'Countdown.'**" A pause, as Raidyn tried to bring to mind the little memories available to him. "I think it was about cats."

There was a long moment of silence. "I see…"

Raidyn hummed in response. Another mystery. The fingers began happily drumming again.

The shinobi shifted on his feet again, but before he could reply, a young medic girl popped her head in from the door, fumbling with a clipboard. "E-excuse me, Baki-san, but I have to change Raidyn-san's bandages now. Can you-?"

"Of course." The man flew out the door faster than was necessary, not even bothering to close the door, and the sudden movement made Raidyn instinctively look up, into the brown eyes of the nurse.

"Hello." Raidyn greeted with a slight cock of his head.

The medic with the dirty blonde hair looked up, and widened her eyes. "Oh." she gasped.

_Oh? _Raidyn watched curiously as the medic hesitantly came closer, her teeth chewing nervously on her lips, and placed the glass of water on the nearby table, before gently grabbing his bandaged hand. The instant their hands touched, she glanced up, and seeing the curious cerulean blue eyes staring back at her, flustered under his gaze.

"Wow. Rina-chan was right, they really _are_ like the sky." She murmured under her breathe.

"What?"

"N-never mind! M-may I?" She stammered frantically, blushing even darker. Raidyn nodded slowly, bemused. The medic began unwrapping the bandages with the care of one handling with a fragile child. He continued to watch, but his gaze didn't seem to help, as her hands were gentle but unsteady and shaking heavily. Soon, however, she managed to calm down enough for the red to fade into a dust of pink, and for all of the bandages came off, revealing four faint crescent marked scars on his palms. She made a noise of approval, and began rewrapping it with a newer cloth.

An uncomfortable silence. Raidyn began drumming the fingers on his other hand on the slick metal handrail, making dull sounds that slowed into a hypnotic and familiar beat only known to him.

Raidyn was pulled out of his thoughts by the gentle tugging of the newly wrapped cloth on his hand.

"Y-your neck, please."

Raidyn obediently raised both of his hands and swept the shoulder length, straight ink black locks of hair onto one side. A part of him idly wondered how exactly it got that long, but the thought was easily dismissed as he leaned his head towards the right.

He couldn't help but tense as the gentle hands began unwrapping the bandages on his neck. Exposed. Vulnerable. The neck was one of the most weakest places on the human body. It was the least muscled, least protected, and just one slash would be fatal. His pulse quickened.

"Don't worry, I'm a-almost done." The medic reassured him. Raidyn gifted her with another smile, and she blushed heavily. The girl's heartbeat was as unsteady as her hands, and a faint feeling of concern washed over him. His other hand immediately reacted on it, placing it on her arm and squeezing gently in reassurance.

"Are you alr-"

The medic squeaked the second his hand came in contact with her, and she jumped visibly, dropping the clipboard to the floor with an audible clatter. "O-oh, I'm sorry, I-I'm so sorry…" she stammered, hastily picking up the clipboard, and continuing off in a blubber of noise. With every word, Raidyn felt his eyes glaze over.

_(Large blue eyes stared up at me, curious and innocent. An unexplainable anguish came over me at the sight, and my heart, already broken into a thousand pieces, crumbled into dust. I placed a tender kiss on the baby's forehead, and Na-)_

"Are these tattoos?"

Raidyn blinked, his eyes sharply coming back into focus. "Tattoos?" he repeated. The working part of his mind noticed that his neck were already neatly bandaged, and the medic, having long calmed down, was tracing patterns on his arm.

"They're _gorgeous_. I haven't seen ones like these before," she gushed.

Raidyn lifted his other arm, and for the first time, saw them. There, drawn on his pale skin, were long and intricate tattoos. Thin and drawn with long wavy strokes, they were a light silvery bluish-grey colour, like the shadows of a white fluffy cloud. The lines swirled on the skin in an graceful curvy pattern, like small white waves, and shimmered in the light with the elegance of the most precious diamonds. Fascinated, his eyes followed the pattern, and it disappeared into his shirt sleeve. He was surprised he hasn't noticed them before.

_(Not tattoos) _His heart thumped painfully in his chest as he traced the lines with his eyes, barely aware of the medic looking nervously at him, a slight blush still evident on her cheeks.

"Thank you," Raidyn said curtly, and their eyes met again, her heartbeat pulsing faster with every second, before he turned away towards the window, fingers once again drumming inaudibly on the side of the hospital bed.

His dismissive tone must've got to her, for the medic jumped up, face beet red, as she realized that she had finished with the bandages a long time ago. She made some sort of half-scurry towards the door, and closed it with a small snap.

Raidyn exhaled loudly, and rubbed his temple with one hand.

_(A sense of wrongness)_

There was a deep fog in his brain, thick and humid, it wouldn't relinquish it's hold on his mind, leaving it partially numb.

He couldn't think properly, couldn't find any answers to any of his questions. Who was he? Why does he hate the desert? Who was that strange blue eyed boy? What were these markings on his arms? Why was the color red so meaningful to him?

Why can't he remember…?

Just listing some of them made his head pound, and his fingers drummed harder against the glass. Beneath the detachment, the amusement, the concern, and the confusion, was a feeling of restlessness that wouldn't go away.

_(I'm not suppose to be here)_

There was one thing he was sure of. If he wasn't suppose to be here, where was he suppose to be? That place.. He needed to get there.

_(Glimpses of trees, disappearing as fast as they came)_

Something… or some_one_ was waiting for him there.

**- **

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

* * *

_You're not suppose to be here. You're suppose to be __there__, where HE is. Go. Now. Before it's too late. _

* * *

**Countdown: 9**

* * *

Didn't think I'd update, did'ja? Well I did, despite the…. 10 alerts.. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not sure. *sweat drop*

As you may notice, (or I hope you'll notice) the writing style changes slightly with each POV. With Raidyn, it is more poetic, and thus, more imagery! With everybody else, the writing style is more orderly, more like what is normally used. Just a little hint on the chaotic-ness of Minato/Raidyn's head. That, and he would make a good poet. Also, on the last chapter, I kind of used the more poetic style with Temari as well, because it's fun to write like that, hehehe. That, and I really wanted to describe Minato without sounding like some fan girl.

And you might be thinking.. Countdown.. And cats…? Hey! No, Minato is not crazy! He has amnesia, so he has the right for some weird moments. :P

Here's me hoping for the double digits. ^^;

See that button down there? Click it. And type whatever comes to mind. It would be very appreciated. :)

~L. Syrup


	3. Rain

Rain _n_

**1. Water falling from the clouds: **water condensed from vapour in the atmosphere and falling in drops from clouds

**2. Period of wet weather: **any storm, shower, or other quantity of water falling from the sky

**3. Rainy weather: **weather marked by heavy or persistent rainfall

**4. Great number or flow: **a great number of small individual things coming in a steady flow or anything else flowing or falling like rain  
_- A rain of dust fell from the crumbling ceiling_

_**(as) right as rain: **__perfectly all right_

_**- - - - - - - - - ~TTM~ - - - - - - - - -**_

_Chapter 3  
Tribute to the Rain_

Rainstorms were a rare occasion in Suna.

The first few drops came down slowly at first, exploding in the dust and sand like miniature bombs. Raidyn had watched out of the cracked, dusty window as they fell down, his deep blue eyes reflecting the tiny crystal ornaments that clung to the finger-smeared glass. _(fall, fall, fall, fall)_

His fingers drummed on the windowsill, playing a dreary staccato tune against the polished wood, but it was drowned by the rain.

Like during the first few seconds after the end of the show, the rain grew heavier and heavier, until the once polite applause turned into an enthusiastic roar of noise that echoed loudly in one's eardrums, the hundreds and hundreds of hands clapping to exhaustion.

Raidyn closed his eyes briefly, savouring the chaotic and dreary yet serene sound, before flickering them open again, the deep blue irises glowing somehow despite the dim light.

Those glowing eyes traced down towards what was in front of his bare feet, plain shinobi sandals that was once a deep black, but time had faded the colour, turning it into a permanent dark grey, like stormy grey clouds, the same ones that streaked in that streaked the sky at that exact moment.

A voice called out for him from across the wide hallway. "Are you coming or not?" _(Hurry up, sensei)_

The fingers stopped, but otherwise, Raidyn didn't reply, and he slipped calmly into the faded sandals, absentmindedly noting that it was the right size, before hurrying after Kankuro.

An ANBU, his mask a snarling hyena painted with a light hazel brown, had came a few days ago _(Cold. Emotionless. He never wanted that life for him) _telling him that the Council had asked if he could live with one of the shinobi citizens until he would regain his memories. The gesture seemed to be out of the goodness of their hearts, but he had somehow found that very doubtful.

The rational part of him, free from the numbness in the rest of his mind, told him that it would be wise to say yes, as an amnesiac person wouldn't go far on his own, as much as needed to go to… that place. So he had agreed, and the next day, -or night, technically- a strange looking teen with purple paint on his face barged into the room, introduced himself as 'Kankuro' and told him that he would be staying with him before he left out the door.

His… escort for lack of word, mumbling under his breathe before walking impatiently out the hospital entrance. The tall teen seemed to be around the same age of that other girl with the dark green eyes, though it was hard to tell with the full black body suit and purple marking on his face, reminiscent of the kabuki, with their bizarre dresses and swaggering dances.

"Yes, the rain is pretty and all, but we got to _go_. Now." Kankuro said with an impatient huff.

To Raidyn's pleasant surprise, Kankuro was unlike any other visitors he had. He seemed to be reluctant to meeting him, and had a permanent scowl on his painted face, something that he found very refreshing._ (His half-lidded eye crinkled slightly into a small hesitant smile, and I grinned back)_

Kankuro disappeared out the hospital entrance door, hands in his pockets. In the time when the door opened, the almost painful sound of the rain slapping the ground with unnecessary force almost doubled, as the hospital walls and doors that dulled the sound was gone.

And when a cool breeze drifted onto his face from the entrance, his black locks moving slightly in disarray, Raidyn found himself _needing_ to be outside. _(Closing my eyes, I let myself think like I was back home again)_

It had been almost a week since he had been stuck inside the hospital, inside that small enclosed white room. The hours he spent there had been a large blur, but when the doctors had insisted on him staying even longer, as his 'case was very unique,' he had instinctively declined. It wasn't like as if he hated the white building, but for one who had lost nearly all his memories, that room had been his entire world.

Apart from the desert itself, but he wouldn't exactly call that a world. _(Hot. Excruciatingly hot and dry)_

Raidyn confidently stepped outside, and took a deep breathe, ignoring the sharp coldness from the air tingling his throat. His skin came out in goose bumps, steadily numbing over the icy rush of the _rain_ that poured over him in waves of cold, soaking through the fabric, the skin, and the muscles, and stabbing viciously into his very bones.

The pitter patter of the raindrops fell in torrents against his skin, dripping down from the tips of his long black locks, matted in dark raven locks against his face and neck, and running like small rivulets down his collar bone and his soaked clothes. The feeling was very…

Familiar; extremely familiar. The teen was staring at him with a strange look on his face, and any minute now, he was going to say something, a foreign sound that would ruin it, but maybe he could pretend not to listen, and he might go away. _(Just maybe) _But when he didn't say anything, the surprise that should've came didn't, and Raidyn found himself comfortably walking side by side with the grouchy teen, rainwater seeping into his toes, and matching his footsteps perfectly.

The deserted street they were walking on gave a feeling of cold detachment, and the dark grey clouds, so angry and proud, a thick cinder blanket covering the once starry night sky, smothered the moon and all of its glow. The lack of light gave the road an interesting perspective, a black and white world with only Raidyn's eyes, like exotic blue pools, giving it colour.

Kankuro was holding an umbrella in one arm over his head, twirling it niftily in his fingers. The colour was a pure jet black, something that didn't surprise Raidyn in the least. He had offered another one to him, but Raidyn merely stared at him in utter confusion, until Kankuro awkwardly withdrew his arm.

It was only water, after all. Nothing dangerous about it. _(Water. Whirlpool. Uz-)_

"So what was your name again?" The teen asked gruffly in an attempt for conversation.

"Raidyn." He answered automatically. So many people had asked for his name during the week in the hospital that it came to him instantly, despite the fact that he knew that it wasn't really his real name.

"That's a weird name." Kankuro commented bluntly.

Raidyn hummed in response. Truthfully, it was a bit strange that the name jumped out to him on that day. Out of all the names he considered, that one kept stubbornly coming back to him. _Thunder God_, a voice had insistently whispered. While the rest of the names felt wrong, that name seemed both fitting yet wrong _and unexplainably amusing_ at the time, though he had no idea why, even now.

The conversation died, and Raidyn's thoughts began to drift, the sound of his worn sandals on the road the only sound he allowed himself to hear, despite the roaring of the pelting rain in the background that threatened to drown everything else in a haze of noise. Raidyn continued walking, matching Kankuro's footsteps, one foot after another.

The tension was thick in the air, not that Raidyn knew, _(Or maybe I just don't care) _and too quiet, too silent; all Raidyn could hear was the pounding of both water and two hearts, and the sound of his breathing, light and barely detectable.

_Such a loud silence could only be broken by something even louder. _The thought of yelling didn't even occur to Raidyn, and he just let his mind drift, let his eyes wander back down to his footsteps.

"So how does being an amnesiac person treating you?" Kankuro asked weakly at another stab for conversation, though there was a calculating and wary glint in his eyes. "Did you regain any memories yet?"

It was a hypnotizing rhythm, like a metronome walking time, step after step after step. A part of Raidyn wondered why they were walking in an even pace. _(A metronome. The seconds of a clock. A heartbeat) _Wouldn't running on the rooftops be more faster, and keep the mud off their shoes? A single glance told him that there were some shadows up on the roof, like small black blurs disappearing into the stormy night.

"Hey.. Are you listening?"

A glint of metal in the distant, almost nonexistent light, a small glimpse of a metal headband, _(Hitai-ate) _barely shown for less than a second. A strange symbol, like an hourglass, the same one that Kankuro wore. The same one that that green eyed girl wore. _(Leaf. Bird. Will of fire)_

Raidyn faltered slightly, less than a second, and it was only the evidence of their suddenly mismatched footsteps that showed it.

A Shinobi…? Was I a-

"Ugh… No wonder Temari said he had the attention span of a duck," Kankuro mumbled to himself.

Raidyn abruptly stopped walking, looking up to the mumbling teen in front of him. _Duck? _

"Duck ninja?" Raidyn said, puzzled.

Kankuro paused, whirling around to face him, and gave Raidyn a strange look, staring at him without comprehension, until he shook his head and turned back, once again mumbling under his breathe.

Raidyn hastily increased his pace to catch up to him, and seeing him muttering to himself, Raidyn felt a spark of curiosity, and strained his ears. With a startling jolt of _something_, his hearing doubled, and below the loud dancing of the rain exploding in his ears, he finally heard the voice, small but clear and with an incredulous tone to it.

"Insane…" Kankuro muttered, shaking his head. "Utterly insane…"

A small smile quirked at Raidyn's lips, but it disappeared before anyone could see it. Insanity? He had never considered the prospect before. It was an intriguing but disturbing thought, but such pessimistic ideas sounded foreign to him. _(Unfamiliar yet familiar) _

But of course, if he wasn't pessimistic, he was optimistic, and a grinning Raidyn seemed really… strange.

_("Pull it together." I whispered, closing my eyes tightly in prayer. Nevertheless, a single tear went down my cheek. "I will not… cannot.. will never allow myself to break down now. My village needs me.")_

Strange, but, nice, in a way.

Raidyn paused again, his sandals sinking a little in the deep mud, as something in his mind stirred, a faint desperate echo in the darkest parts of his mind. He waited, but the feeling soon died, and he dismissed it.

"Hey… Raidyn-san."

"Hmm?" Raidyn looked up slowly to see Kankuro staring back at him with exasperation. Those eyes searched his face for some sort of sign, but his face remained a blank expression, set with stone. _(Everything. Anything. Nothing)_

Kankuro seemed to be choosing his words carefully, saying them with slow precision. "We're still only halfway there, so we should get moving."

Silence. The rain fell harder, with the weight of stones. _(burningburningburning)_

"Yeah." Raidyn finally said, so softly that Kankuro had to strain to hear, and ignoring the sudden headache, steadily pounding painfully against his head like a second heartbeat, he fought out another word. "I-"

_(A sense of-)_

Raidyn's eyes narrowed, and the unexpected change startled Kankuro, who was watching him carefully for any reaction. His skin tingled as his sixth sense stirred in his mind, automatically increasing the other senses with practiced ease. The heightened senses didn't bother him, but something else did, a sort of unnerving and disturbing feeling that made the two working parts of his mind seemed to be struggling for dominance over what to do, only to reach an uneasy stalemate.

_Soft footsteps trailing behind him. _

Raidyn stumbled on something under his foot, and there was a strange falling sensation before he fell to the muddy ground with a splat.

He blinked. _That was odd. _

There was a long moment of deafening silence, before a snort broke out from above him. "You know, when people trip, they usually get back up again. Not stay lying on the ground with an expression of total shock." Kankuro drawled. Raidyn looked up owlishly at the teen, before gripping the ground with both hands, and easily pushing himself on his feet.

Kankuro blanched. "Gah! You're bleeding!"

"I am?" Raidyn echoed. He casual wiped his hand on his black pants, leaving long dark brown smudges on the cloth, -not that it mattered as it was already caked in mud- and brushed it lightly against his forehead, before looking at his hand again.

It was hard to tell in the dark, but the dark red liquid on his hand was indeed blood. _(Laughter. "Scream.") _Raidyn cocked his hand and hmmed lightly, rubbing his fingers together and watching the warm blood smear on his fingertips.

It clicked then. He was bleeding. Raidyn felt an unexpected urge to laugh, something that immediately disturbed him.

His mouth quirked. "Ah, I am."

Kankuro made a noise of disgust before grabbing his other hand and yanking. Raidyn stumbled again as he was led by the hastily marching teen in front of him.

"Come on. We're going to the house. Now."

Raidyn felt a sudden feeling to reassure his escort. "It's not that bad." he said lightly. He blinked rapidly as a flow of blood dripped down onto his left eye, running down his cheek. How much was he bleeding anyway?

Kankuro glanced back at him, grimaced, before striding even faster.

_**- - - - - - - - - ~TTM~ - - - - - - - - - **_

Temari paced the tiled kitchen floor, glancing out the window occasionally. Back and forth, 6 paces each way. She was nervous, and with good reason.

_That man she met in the desert a week ago was a potential spy. He was to live with us, so that we could see if his actions stay true to his background. Kankuro was walking alone with him, in the rain, in the deserted streets. No witnesses. And now he's late, by 15 minutes. Most probable reason?_

Temari shook her head violently. She was jumping to conclusions. Think of the most obvious reason, the rain must've slowed them down. Of course, that must be it.

When Baki-sensei told them of their new mission, Temari was shocked. That incident a week ago was still clear on her mind, but she didn't think that she would actually meet the man again, let alone as the target of their mission.

_Raidyn laughed again, and Temari wondered for a second time if the man -Raidyn- was insane. The laugh faltered, making her eyes flicker to his, noting with alarm the swarming swirls of emotion, a whirlpool of confusion and anguish. There were no words to describe the pain she saw in those molten blue irises. _

It seemed to be impossible to think of him as a spy. Simply impossible. Right?

There was a knock at the door, loud and impatient, and Temari froze for split second before running to the door. She flung the door open, and seeing the two familiar rain-soaked faces, let out a breathe she wasn't aware of holding, overwhelmed by relief.

Then she took a real look at them, and her eyes widened in surprise.

Kankuro had a grumpy expression on his face, the purple paint on his face almost completely washed out by the storm, which was odd since Temari remembered to shove two umbrellas into his arms before she pushed him out the door.

A smile twitched at Temari's lips seeing Raidyn. He looked like a drowned puppy, with the black hair hanging low in his face and dripping on the floor, the muddy clothes, and that familiar blank expression on his face. She noted with slight amusement that his gravity-defying spikes remained stubbornly upright even just out from the pouring rain. _Wait, was that blood dripping down his face? Ack!_

"Fix him." Kankuro deadpanned, shrugging past her. "I'm taking a shower."

Kankuro left, leaving Raidyn and Temari alone in the doorway. Temari froze up again, not knowing what to say. Her eyes trailed down the once grey shirt, sticking to his chest and easily defining the prominent muscles. Temari blushed, and hastily lowered her gaze to the slowly growing puddle of water under his feet.

Raidyn cocked his head slightly, barely a centimetre. "May I come in?"

Temari nodded robotically, and leaned out the way as Raidyn brushed past her, before closing the door with an audible snap. She turned towards Raidyn again, watching carefully as his eyes flickered around the room. Their house was richly furnished, as they were the Kazekage's son and daughter, with its lush dark colours, and numerous shinobi scrolls, and weapons. It wasn't completely unexpected for a supposed traveller.

He seemed to be satisfied, because he turned back to her, a questioning look in his eyes. Temari stared back, spellbound, and there was a moment of silence except for the sound of the shower running upstairs, and the rain pounding on the roof. Then a drop of blood slid down Raidyn's cheek, creating a long red trail in its wake, and fell on the floor, staining the carpet and Temari came to her senses, snapping upright.

"Right. Uh, come to the kitchen, and I'll bandage that." Temari said, mentally congratulating herself on her casual tone.

She turned around again, and flew to the kitchen, Raidyn at her heels.

Raidyn sat down on one of the wooden chairs, watching quietly as Temari searched around for the medical kit. His gaze seemed to stare into the back of her head, so it took about five drawers before she actually found it.

Temari whipped it open, searching for the bandages, before pausing and handing Raidyn a large white towel. A flicker of surprise flashed on his face, before it smoothed back into a blank look, and he began rubbing his hair vigorously.

Finally finding the bandages, she took out a small hand towel, and soaked it with hot water in the sink before tentatively approaching Raidyn.

"Here. I got to wipe away the blood first," Temari explained, feeling his questioning gaze on her. Raidyn stared at her and for a second she wondered if he had heard her, but he slowly lowered the towel into his lap. Taking that as a good sign, she took a deep breathe before leaning towards him, face to face, and began gently wiping away the blood.

Raidyn sat there, back rigid and his fingers drumming on his knee. Temari wondered if he was being impatient, but dismissed it, as he was still drumming his fingers before as well. She brushed the long bangs away from his face, marvelling at how silky the damp locks were to the touch, and wiped his forehead, noting the small cut on it. The wound itself wasn't that bad, it was just the blood that made it seem more worse.

All the while, Raidyn was silent, his gaze piercing into her and seeming to be scanning her soul. It was unnerving, although Temari wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

The human eye was difficult to capture in words. They were so expressive, showing many facets of emotion at once and ever-changing in tone and tint depending on the mood, glowing with intense emotion, and darkening with hate, and those eyes were different, as they both hid something yet exposed everything at the same time, an emotion that was simply unexplainable.

_A mask, designed to show both nothing and something at the same time, right? _Once, she glanced up to meet his eyes, meet that intense colour beneath lowered eyelashes, and paused, because it dawned on her that this was the first time she has actually been this close to him before, and she shifted uncomfortably on her feet, before averting her eyes again.

"Does Kankuro-san not like blood?" Raidyn asked slowly. Temari fumbled with the roll of bandages, puzzled at the question, but then it clicked.

"Oh. Did he look squeamish because you tripped on something?" Temari asked, laughing slightly. Raidyn didn't say anything, but she took that as a yes anyway. "Well, you see, Kankuro always freaks out when people trip and stuff, so it's not just you in particular."

Despite herself, a faraway smile broke over her face, which surprised her. She doesn't smile much, except around Kankuro, so it was strange how she smiled a lot when she was talking with Raidyn, if you could call this a conversation.

"It was a long time ago, when I was 10 years old. Kankuro was working on his pu-weapons, when I came into the house. I tripped and cut myself on something, and began to bleed a lot. I panicked, because I started growing dizzy, but Kankuro dismissed it, saying I was just being stupid. A few minutes later, I fell unconscious because I cut myself on one of his poisonous knives." Temari huffed in fond annoyance. "Now, he works in his room, and almost never lets me in anymore."

Raidyn smiled faintly at the end of the story, and while it was the second smile she had actually seen from him, it was a smile that didn't break her heart at the sight.

_-the swarming swirls of emotion, a whirlpool of confusion and anguish. _

Temari decided that she liked it when he smiled, because it changed that lost and emotionless man into something - some_one_ human. Emotion seeped through his smiles, a contagious sight that made everybody seeing it feel the same way; heartbreakingly confused, or quiet amusement, it didn't matter.

_Damn empathy. _

Raidyn's smile grew somewhat, and Temari realized, with a blush, that she had said that out loud. He opened his mouth to say something, but paused and closed it just as there were audible footsteps stomping down the stairs, and banging open the kitchen door.

Kankuro stormed inside, his long strides easily carrying himself over to the pair. Temari watched intently as Raidyn's curious eyes followed Kankuro's trail, but realized that Kankuro had taken off his shinobi gear, exposing his short, chestnut brown hair, damp and dishevelled from the shower. It must've been the first time he's seen him without his hat and paintings.

His dark eyes met hers, asking a silent question, and Temari smiled in reassurance. He visibly relaxed, and his eyes turned to Raidyn, still sitting rigidly on the wooden chair, looking coolly at him.

"Your room is upstairs, last door on the right." He said politely with a small stiff nod. Temari frowned behind a hand, but said nothing.

Raidyn paused, before jumping up from the chair, and dodging nimbly around Temari before heading up the stairs, a hand fingering the bandage wrapped securely around his forehead. He turned around slightly, as if debating something, but walked on, leaving Temari alone with Kankuro.

The second Raidyn's disappearing back left up the stairs, she whirled on him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Temari scowled.

Kankuro dropped his gaze, averting his eyes to the floor. "I don't trust him."

Temari fought the urge to roll her eyes. It was exceedingly hard. "Of course not. He's under suspicion of a spy, but that doesn't mean we should be openly hostile to him. If he is a spy, he'll suspect that something's going on."

"The guy already knew something was going on when Tou-sama requested him to stay with us, so it shouldn't matter right?" Kankuro argued. "And besides, the guy freaks me out, with that crazy look in his eye."

"It does matter because you're saying it as if Raidyn is already a spy. And you can't say that you haven't heard of amnesiac people who act even worse."

Kankuro fell into silence, but for a different reason than Temari originally thought. His dubious and annoyed look slowly turned into horrified realization. "Oh _no_."

Temari gave him an annoyed look. "What?"

"Oh no. Oh nonononononono….."

"Kankuro!"

"You…" Kankuro faltered, speechless for a few seconds before finding his voice again. "You have a crush on him, don't you?"

Temari gaped at him, mind not processing what her brother just said. "WHAT?!"

"You have a crush on him!"

"I-I d-don't.. I mean… Y-you…" Temari stammered, a light blush dusting her cheeks, before looking down at the medical kit on her lap, and didn't say a word.

Kankuro groaned, lowering his head onto the kitchen table and covering it with his arms. "Why, Temari why!? You… You can't fraternize with the enemy! Besides, how many crushes do you have now? This is what, your fourteenth crush this year? It's like you see a guy both _'cute' _and _'cool' _and immediately go fan girl on me!!" **(a/n *coughsasukecough*)**

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Temari muttered crossly, looking out the window. "I do not-"

"_Right_," Kankuro interrupted with a scoff.

"No really."

"You sure, fan girl?"

"At least I don't play with dolls."

"They're not _dolls_," Kankuro hissed. "They're puppets. As in fatally dangerous puppets."

The two scowled at each other, locking each other in a fierce glare, until the tension broke when Kankuro grinned cheekily, which Temari returned with a roll of her eyes. _Sometimes_, Temari thought, _brothers can be so strange. _

"Okay, I'll play nice," Kankuro relented. "But I still don't like him."

Temari gave her stubborn brother a playful flick on the nose.

_**- - - - - - - - - ~TTM~ - - - - - - - - -**_

Raidyn sat down on the bed, idly picking off congealed blood off his fingernails, which fell to the floor in dry red flakes. His body posture seemed relaxed, his other hand surprisingly still while one of his feet tapped to an unknown beat. _(Countdown) _But while his whole body seemed relaxed, it wasn't so. His muscles were tense, and his eyes, however, were different than usual. They were missing their vacant but intense gaze, and instead, there was a fire in his eyes as he stared with open interest at the stone wall to his left as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

He didn't notice it at first. It was just a plain stone wall, nothing framed on it, no furniture resting against it. Just a plain stone wall. Yet it called it him, an excited whisper in his mind that tells him over and over again that it wasn't just a wall. Not just a wall, more than that. Something dangerous, foreboding.. something familiar. _(Extremely familiar)_

Finally, he couldn't resist the temptation, and he rose up gracefully on his feet, and approached it, tracing invisible symbols on the bare wall with a finger. On queue, a line of intricate seals appeared, stretching far left and right across the wall like words written on stone paper, and glowed an unearthly dark green light, before fading away.

"Silencing seals, drawn so I can't hear anything outside this room." Raidyn muttered excitedly, as if he was in a happy daze, the fascination clear in his quiet voice. "Mid-chunin level, there are some mistakes with the arrangement…"

Raidyn had no idea what he was doing or what he was saying for that matter. All he knew was that these seals captured his interest in the way nothing else could, more than the sky, with its familiar ever changing colours, or the wind, with its crisp breeze that would caress his face with words of reassurance. These seals actually made him.. Giddy? Excited? He scrolled through the short list of emotions in his head, but found nothing. The feeling was indescribable, like the feeling a boy gets when he gets a step closer to his _dream_. _(I looked down with a sudden fierce protectiveness at the large roaring crowd below me)_

_(A voice sighs in relief)_

Yes, all Raidyn knew was that he felt really energetic, and he wouldn't be that surprised if he was bouncing on his feet. He took a glance towards his left at the tall full-length mirror resting on the wall, and blinked in surprise seeing the full blown grin on his face.

He was grinning. _Grinning. _All sorts of sensations bubbled in Raidyn's chest. Cheerfulness. Excitement. Warmness. It spread throughout his body and gave him more energy than any energy drink ever could.

Maybe being 'optimistic' isn't so strange after all.

The grin widened.

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

* * *

_Can you hear me? See me? Feel? No...? Find me. God, just look around. I'm right here, you know. You're just not looking in the right direction. _

**_

* * *

_**

**a/n** yes chapter 3 is finally done! Truthfully not the best in my opinion, but it's mostly just a set up for the next chapter, so sorry for the lack of action, but the setting has officially been set, and now the story will actually continue. So yeah, there will be action in the next chapter. Some mystery, some questions…. Etc. I think some gore too. Maybe. I always did like gore… And the story is rated T for a reason... Hmm I have a strange feeling that I'm going to really like writing the next chapter. *evil laughter*

No, Raidyn will not change overnight, he's just having a personality crisis. And he _likes_ to grin, so you can't blame him for that. ;)

Temari's crush is simply a crush for those asking. I really doubt it would get anywhere, considering that Raidyn/Minato is married lol

Okay, I got kind of lazy typing at the end, because I've been typing all night. (And getting distracted by you tube songs and fan fiction and the endless amounts of coffee) I just woke up today and said, I'm going to finish chapter 3 today, dammit! And now I did. Huzzah!

**SETTING **- 6 months before the chunin exams, and so about a few months before Naruto becomes genin, if my naruto timeline is correct. So no, Gaara has not met Naruto yet.

On another random note, I was suppose to upload this earlier today, but I was so tired that I couldn't proofread this properly, so yeaah… good thing I didn't post it anyway, I found some nasty typos that I quickly fixed, and added some other junk.

Wow guys, thanks for all your support, especially to my reviewers, you all gave me a lot of inspiration. Unfortunately, it's the end of summer vacation, and time to start preparing for school, so I have no idea whether I'll get the time to start the next chapter, but I'll try!

**_NOTE:_** I have now added a poll to my profile, a question that's been bugging me since I've started this story. Should I add Rin to the story? Make Raidyn/Minato meet her one day, or have her go to Konoha during the storyline? Please tell me what you think!

~L. Syrup


	4. Dreams

**(WARNING: DARK THEMES)**

Dream _n_

**1. sequence of mental images during sleep: **a sequence of images that appear involuntarily to the mind of somebody who is sleeping, often a mixture of real and imaginary characters, places, and events

**2. daydream: **A series of images, usually pleasant ones, that pass through the mind of somebody who is awake

**3. something hoped for: **something that somebody hopes, longs, or is ambitious for, usually something difficult to attain or far removed from present circumstances

**4. Idle hope: **an idea or hope that is impractical or unlikely ever to be realized

**5. Vague state: **a state of inattention owing to preoccupation with thoughts or fantasies

_Walks around in a dream_

**6. Something beautiful: **somebody or something that seems particularly good-looking or wonderful

_**- - - - - - - - - ~TTM~ - - - - - - - - - **_

_Chapter 4  
__Tribute to Dreams_

You frown. Another dream.

The water laps against your ankles, and you curl your toes against the bitter chill. Goosebumps crawl up your skin but you smile anyway, a small kind of smile that makes your face muscles groan in protest.

Step. Step.

Your footsteps echo eerily in the background, and you can't shake off the claustrophobic feel that weighs over your head _(lingering at the back of your mind like a death sentence). _Long used to the sensation, you don't let it bother you, and your glowing eyes quickly adjust to the dim light. It was too dark to see clearly, only enough light to see your face reflecting in the water's surface, _(You see your smile, almost disturbing in its form, and you try harder)_ but your steps are quick and confident.

Step. Step.

And you continue on. _(If only to get this over with)_

Step.

Your hands sink into your pockets as you walk, the epitome of nonchalant_. (But your muscles are tense, and your smile has become strained. The hair on the back of your neck is standing on end, and it's only now that you realize that your heartbeat was nonexistent. You blink once. How strange.)_

Suddenly, off in the distance, a baby giggles.

You stop, swaying slightly in the water, before walking again. _'It's just a dream,' _you repeat to even in a dream, the sound of a baby's laughter sends shocks through your body, like fingernails raking up and down your spine. Your smile widens marginally, and your eyes curl up into two identical half-circles.

A female voice is cooing gently. The baby sighs happily, and the seemingly innocent sound slams into your ears with the force of a hurricane.

_("I want to wake up now.")_

Step. Step.

Suddenly, the female voice laughs gleefully.

_(A wide smile. "No.")_

The baby screams.

You freeze, eyes snapping open, and your restarted heart beats loudly in your eardrums. An unexplainable, reckless surge of protective instinct flares in you, but slowly, painfully, you unclench your fists inside your pockets and attempt another smile. You succeed, mostly, but, looking down at the water, it doesn't reach your eyes.

_(A smirk. "Smile, human.")_

The baby continues to scream. The sound dwindles in its intensity before abruptly rising again for a split second. Then it repeats. Somewhere in your mind, the soldier part of you recognizes the sound of one screaming as he was being stabbed repeatedly over and over again.

You numbly wonder why it wasn't dead yet.

_It's just a dream. _

You make the mistake to look down, and see the once clear water has turned a murky pink, tiny silk threads of red weaving into the water. Blood. Unwillingly, your eyes follow the trail down to your left. All the while, your restraint starts to break down. _(Breaking.. breaking down…)_

The screaming was dwindling again, but this time it faded into a pained gurgle, as if the baby was choking on blood. The female voice was making _shhh_-ing sounds, tender and affectionate. A red haze is slowly infecting your vision and you blink furiously.

Silent, you don't make a single sound. The only sign that you want to rage and scream at this woman, to kill **H**er for daring to use this form of mental torture, is the blood dripping down your chin. Your teeth had at some point bitten through your tongue, and you turn your head to spit it out, the strong, metallic taste lingering in your mouth.

And then, just as quiet as it came, the gurgling -choking, it's _fading-_

..stops.

Death is natural. A cruel, ironic, commonplace part of this.. realm. _(Yet) _You feel sick. Your world is tilting distorting suffocating silence dizzy pain pain _pain_ all in a dusty, red -why, why, always **red- **burning dying. _You feel sick. _

"Oyasuminasai, (Good night) Naruto-chan." The woman speaks quietly.

_(__**I**__ win.)_

That voice…? Where had he heard it befor- Don't think. Don't think of her. No. _Nonononono…_

This is not happening. This is a dream. Your throat tight with denial, fingers aching to move. Tattoos on your arm glow feebly before dimming, and somewhere in your mind there is a quiet but resounding… _click. _

_**Kushina.**_

And you run.

You run faster than you've ever ran before. Fast enough that the soles on your feet begin to bleed, and your breathe comes in rapid bursts of air. You're sprinting now, faster than you've ever remembered going. _(wrong) _Your eyes dart across the water, following the red trails of blood into the darkness. Too frantic, too desperate, you don't notice that your heart wasn't beating anymore.

The scene you come to isn't what you expected.

There was a woman lying on her knees in the water, holding what appeared to be a bloodstained bundle in her arms. A woman with long, bright red hair wearing an equally red kimono. Your eyes drift almost impulsively onto the bundle; it was originally a bright orange, but blood had dyed it a sick red that dripped rhythmically onto the water.

You close your eyes, struggling to keep your calm, but not quickly enough to notice one last detail:

The red-haired woman is carrying a red-stained kunai in her right hand.

She doesn't seem to notice you at first, too busy whispering lullabies into the dead baby's ears. You don't open your eyes when you watch as she wore a tender, motherly expression on her face as she lovingly strokes its cold, pale, cheek.

The world is grey and black and red in the background, burnt into nonexistence. All that mattered was that tiny little bundle of death, as if it was the only thing that existed in this _(realm) _world. And you can't breathe because it's - _he's_ - dead, and you want to fucking _die. _

The woman finally takes notice of you, straightening up and letting the bloodstained bundle fall from her arms, seemingly not even caring as the dead bundle rolls onto the ground, half-covered in the water _(abandoned)._

Your eyes follow the movement.

She limps towards you drunkenly, one arm reaching out for you while the other half-raising the kunai in the air.

You don't look at the corpse. You don't-

_The baby's eyes are wide open in death, a scream frozen on its icy blue lips. Unseeing blue eyes stare accusingly at you. The once orange blanket covers most of the infant's mangled body, but the very smell of it, the very stench of death, paralyzes you._

Eyes screwed shut, you look away in mid-turn.

The sound of metal dropping into the water with a splash. _(The kunai drops from her limp, bloodied fingers.)_

Cold, cold arms wrap unexpectedly around you from behind, and icy breathe, like an arctic breeze, fans the skin of the back of your neck _(goosebumps). _Surprised, you take in a deep breathe through gritted teeth, _(the scent of pomegranates) _eyes snapping open and staring down at the water's surface.

_(Screaming, raging, clawing-)_

Blue eyes stare back at you_ (shocked, screaming…?)_ but your gaze is set on the red-haired woman's face. You take in her shadowy violet irises, like a dark, ripe plum, her porcelain face, pale and cold, but something is different, something-

"Aishiteru," she whispers into your ear. _I love you._

You close your eyes again, the words like a physical blow. _Pain. _Like a kunai digging, twisting into your heart-

You cough up blood.

Eyes crack open slowly _(eyelids suddenly heavy. No matter how hard you tried you couldn't muster the strength to open them fully). _A hand, - bloodied fingers, dripping with gore and stretched widely apart, as if still reaching in vain for something she couldn't find - there was a hand sticking out of your chest.

_Chakra-concentrated fingers sink into your back, cutting through bone and flesh, piercing through your heart and emerging-_

The hand rips out of your body with a vicious, quick tug. Your knees buckle, and you fall into the water, numb.

_(Damn you.)_

The water is blossoming red. Mind reeling in agony, your gaze focuses blurrily on Kushina's face. She stares back at you with emotionless eyes. Her face is impassive, a blank slate to the world, refusing to show a single shred of emotionless. Still, you search her desperately for something, anything, but her expression remained cold and ruthless.

She leans down, cupping your cheek with the same tender care she used on the infant. You blink slowly, breathless and a numb feeling infecting your chest as her hand trails down your face, leaving a long smear of blood down your jaw line. She releases her touch.

"Aishiteru," she whispers again. One eternity of a moment, as she simply stares, her eyes tracing your features as if wanting to embed them into memory.

And then she kisses you, slow and lingering and passionate and desperate and leaving a coppery taste on your lips.

_(Damn you…)_

Her hand dunks into the water, and Kushina picks up the kunai knife again, the metal shining. Holding the kunai in both hands, she _smiles_. Something like déjà vu hits you _(Why were you smiling?) _but before you could wonder why, she raises the kunai and slits her throat in one quick motion.

You could only watch, breathless, as she falls down next to you, large, violet orbs staring blankly at you with that same heart-wrenching smile hovering on her lips. Dead.

_**(Damn you…!)**_

Silence fills the air, heavy and foreboding, the only sound being the ragged, painful breathe escaping your blood-smeared lips as you suck in the very last bits of oxygen you'll ever have. Through the dull ache pounding in your mind, and your world spinning as the blood flows free from your body, is an empty feeling that lodges itself into your chest.

Everyone was dead. _(failuredefeatanguish) _And as you lie down there, blue eyes fading _(fading), _and surrounded by the departed, you realize that you were going next.

_(__**S**__he smiles cruelly-)_

_Th-thump._

_**- - - - - - - - - ~TTM~ - - - - - - - - -**_

Raidyn woke up, drenched in sweat and blood seeping in his mouth from where he bit his tongue. Blurry blue eyes scanned the room as it tilted left and right dangerously. The moment he regained his equilibrium, he dashed to the washroom and spat out the liquid into the sink. _(-leaving a coppery taste on your lips.)_

He turned on the tap, and stared for a moment as the water drained away the blood, dazed. Blue eyes flickered to his reflection in the mirror, and Raidyn was momentarily surprised. His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth set into a frown. Dark bags rested heavily under his eyes, contrasting clearly with his pale skin. _(-ave to stay awake-)_

But that wasn't what surprised him. There, on top of his head were three single strands of white hair, easily seen with the mass of raven black hair in the background. Raidyn lifted his hand to gently grab them, rubbing them thoughtfully with two fingers.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he looked more closely at the strands. What he previously thought was white hair was actually-

Blonde.

Now thoroughly _(relieved) _alarmed, Raidyn began inspecting the rest of his head of hair, but his hair was the same, inky black it was when he first woke up on that day in the desert. He roughly pulled the blonde strands out, letting them fall to the floor.

Raidyn feels suddenly dizzy, goosebumps rising on his skin, and he retreated back into bed.

These dreams would normally scare someone. These flashes he kept having would normally scare someone. Oddly enough, he wasn't concerned. He just wasn't the type of person to dwell on these things.

He just ignored it all.

_("-inasai, Naruto-chan.")_

Raidyn took a deep breathe and pushed all disturbing thoughts out of his mind before closing his eyes.

The next day, he wouldn't remember his dream.

_**- - - - - - - - - ~TTM~ - - - - - - - - - **_

Raidyn was totally, and utterly _insane_.

It has been a total of three weeks since Raidyn has been staying at their house, and nearly a month since he's been in Suna. And so far, Kankuro has had mixed feelings about their new 'guest.'

Living with Raidyn was an odd experience.

Kankuro knew Raidyn was a spy, he didn't believe in all this memory loss crap, but even as a spy, Raidyn was a very peculiar man.

For one, he rarely came out of his room. A suspicious notion at first, but security cameras shown that all he did was either stand around poking the wall for kami knows what reason, or sleeping with the occasional nightmare. Likewise, the security sealings placed around his room didn't report anything out of place.

And then, when he did come out of his room, it was to drift silently across the halls to his destination and then back up again to his room. On some rare occasions, something would pick up his interest and he would stand there staring at, say, a family photo or a bowl of fruit for hours on end, utterly fascinated.

Every so often Kankuro would actually forget the man was there only to be reminded by a vague motion out of the corner of his eye.

It just didn't make any sense. All these eccentric habits, his emotionless expressions that would rival an ANBU, and the nightmares. Kami, the nightmares. According to Temari, nightmares were common in amnesiac patients, but what he saw that night, and the following nights, reminded him, scarily enough, of Gaara.

No spy could possible act out while asleep.

And Kankuro comes back to his first and final conclusion: Raidyn was totally, and utterly _insane. _

Well, for a spy.

Recently, however, something has changed. Or maybe not recently, but the change was so slow over the days that he hardly noticed it until now. Two weeks ago, Raidyn's eyes would dart everywhere, as if he wanted to drink in everything he saw, but now they were steady, and staring, an almost… hardened look in them.

He would stare mostly out the window now, one hand forever drumming against the sandstone, out to the sky, the horizon, everywhere _except _the desert. During those hours, he would look… disturbed. Impatient. Restless.

So in the end, since it was beyond frustrating and impossible to be mad at the 'insane, amnesiac guy,' and kind of pathetic the way Raidyn kept drifting around the house with nothing to do, Kankuro decided to go ahead and do something incredibly uncharacteristic.

It was late morning, the red Suna sun starting to rise high in the sky, and the sunrays peaking brightly through the unadorned window, reflecting off all the smooth surfaces in the kitchen and forcing Kankuro to draw shut the window curtains. The sky was clear and a light dusty shade of blue, not a single speck of white in the horizon. Overall, it promised a scorching hot afternoon.

All the three residents of the house were in the kitchen: Temari was pouring over mission reports, a cup of green tea in one hand an ink brush in the other, Raidyn was sipping his tea slowly, almost cautiously, a now familiar detached expression on his face, and Kankuro was scrounging around in the fridge.

_We're out of eggs… _Kankuro thought irritably. He closed the fridge door more harder than necessary, earning a dark look from his sister, and went over to the cabinets for some cereal instead. Suddenly, his hand frozen on a box of oat flakes, a plan forming into his mind. The situation was perfect, and, glancing inconspicuously at Raidyn, Kankuro cleared his throat.

"We're out of eggs," Kankuro repeated out loud. Temari grunted, not paying attention. He continued, "I'm gonna go to the market, maybe get some other things we need." Another grunt.

Trying to appear as casual as he could, Kankuro shrugged into his sandals, heading for the door. He passed by Raidyn on the table, still sipping his tea, the cup not even half finished yet.

"It'll be a lot to carry. Want to come with?" Kankuro said flatly, jerked his head in Raidyn's direction.

There was a sudden choking sound, as Temari choked on her tea. Kankuro wasn't surprised, that was probably the most civil thing he had ever said to Raidyn in, well, _ever_. Mentally sighing in defeat, Kankuro took off his sandals, and just in time too, as Temari dragged Kankuro out of the room. Raidyn looked up for a total of 1.7 seconds before returning to his tea, unfazed.

Temari looked back in the direction cautiously before turning her attention back at him, a glare clear on her face.

"What are you doing, Kankuro?" She hissed, green eyes flashing dangerously.

It was times like these that Kankuro was abruptly reminded about who exactly was the oldest in the family.

"Nothing really," Kankuro replied, shifting uneasily. "I was just thinking… Haven't you noticed that Raidyn has been drifting around the house? He isn't going to recover his memory like this, and it's more likely that he'll remember something walking around Suna…" he trailed off at Temari's dubious expression, and decided to switch tactics. "It would be easier to observe the guy's behaviour in public, Temari. I might catch something off."

Temari face changed into understanding, and Kankuro felt a brief stab of indignation that his sister didn't believe him to be capable of compassion. He wasn't that heartless.

"We need to discuss these things before you start babbling your head off," Temari argued, annoyed. But Kankruo read in between the lines. If Temari was already at the 'tell me before you do something stupid like this' stage, then he had won the battle.

Kankuro relaxed. "I'll try to remember next time," he drawled. Not waiting for a response, Kankuro turned sharply around to head back into the kitchen.

"Kankuro."

He paused, and turned his head back, not quite managing to hide the impatience in his face.

"_What now?_"

"… be careful, idiot."

Surprised, all Kankuro managed to reply back was a single grunt before he resumed walking.

So his sister wasn't as stupid as he thought. Even with that frustrating crush she had on Raidyn, she still understood how potentially dangerous he was. Raidyn could be an enemy shinobi, spying in Suna territory for risky information about their army defences, the negotiation between Sound and Sand, or even worse, about Gaara, and she _understood_. Thank Kami for that, he had thought she was going soft.

Raidyn was in exactly the same position he was when they had first left the room. Burrowing any suspicion he had, Kankuro slipped back on his sandals and pushed open the door. He blinked momentarily at the sudden glare of the sun, before ducking his head back inside. Much to his impatience, Raidyn hadn't moved yet.

Kankuro's eye twitched. "Well? Are you coming or not?!"

Unperturbed, Raidyn stared back at Kankuro, an unexpected guarded expression on his face. A thousand different emotions flashed in those blue eyes, too quickly for Kankuro to recognize clearly, and agitation shot through him. Was he going to say no?

To his relief, he didn't.

"…Alright," Raidyn said carefully.

Setting down his cup of tea as carefully as he could onto the table, Raidyn stood up before sauntering over to his side. Kankuro noted with some bemusement how careful Raidyn walked so that he wouldn't step on the cracks on the tiled floor.

A week ago, Kankuro would've stared openly at such a sight, but now he just chucked it all up to Raidyn being his wacky, insane self.

Oblivious to Kankuro's thoughts, Raidyn put on his borrowed shinobi sandals, absentmindedly flaking off some of the dried mud that had settled on it weeks ago, and stood up.

"Let's go." Raidyn said, brushing past Kankuro and stepped out of the door, his suddenly hasty footsteps quickly leaving Kankuro behind. Peeved, Kankuro hurried after him.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.

_**- - - - - - - - - ~TTM~ - - - - - - - - - -**_

Miles away in a rundown teashop, two figures were taking up a corner of the shop.

At first glance, the first figure had an unremarkable aura in him, and the sort of forgettable face that one might pass by in the town marketplace. However there was something about the way he held himself, muscles tense and alert, like a tiger waiting to spring on its prey, and his brown eyes, the suspicious and wary look in them as they darted around the room, that suggested otherwise.

The other figure was the more eccentric-looking of the two. A man of his fifties, with a surprisingly burly built, and calloused, slightly tanned skin. While not 'handsome,' the man had rugged good looks; something about his dark eyes, mischievous and self-confident, and the two bold red lines that ran down from his eyes that added to his appeal.

The most striking feature of this man's appearance was his _hair. _A shocking mess of pure, snow white hair, with spiky, straight locks flying everywhere as if a bizarre, albino porcupine had nestled onto the man's head. Lastly, it was long, extremely long, as if it hasn't been cut in years, because even when tied up, the long white strands fell down in spiky layers to his knees.

This man's name was Jiraiya, the toad sannin.

Who was currently bored out of his mind.

"There's some new gossip about Suna nowadays. Rumour has it that there's this really stupid spy in Suna claiming total amnesia."

"Really?" Jiraiya drawled, not even bothering to mask his disinterest.

It's been quiet recently. Orochimaru hasn't made any moves, and seemed to have disappeared just a few months ago. Kami, he was bored. Even writing porn can be monotonous over time, and if his contact doesn't have any interesting information… Well, he might have to go to Konohagakure of all places, just for the hell of it. Hey, wait, wasn't Rin living somewhere nearby? Maybe he could go visit her, maybe say hello for the first time in, er, years. Last time he saw her, the gaki was doing pretty well…

The man smirked confidently, gaining Jiraiya's immediate attention and breaking him out of his thoughts. There was more?

"Also…" The man took a long drag out of tea before deliberately pouring himself another cup, clearly taking his time. Jiraiya burrowed his impatience, and motioned vaguely for the man to continue. He did.

"There's been a recent update from our contact in Sound…" he trailed off, and glanced around suspiciously through the empty teashop, his dark eyes lingering on the lone waitress, who was peering at the two curiously. He continued in a softer, more urgent tone, "Sunagakure is_ negotiating an alliance with the Sound_."

Jiraiya's first reaction was to grin widely, slap the man on the back, and storm out of the teashop, cackling madly. (He never liked tea anyway). However, he managed to suppress the urge; it wouldn't do to lose his composure in front of his contact.

"I see…" Jiraiya nodded sagely, a hand reaching up to subtly cover the smirk that threatened to poke through of his self-control. "Is that it?" he added coolly.

The man nodded uncertainly, no doubt seeing the maniacal glint in Jiraiya's eye.

"Hmm.. Alright then. I should, uh, get going now…"

"W-wait!" The man exclaimed suddenly, his arm twitching as if it wanting to reach out and grab him. Colour crept up the man's cheeks, and he ducked his head. "My.. You haven't forgotten my.." he muttered, his voice almost inaudible.

A smug grin broke across Jiraiya's face. "Of course, of course. How could I forget?" he said in a sing-song voice. The sannin reached into his pocket and pulled out a single orange book, which he tossed almost casually to the man. The informant snatched it out of the air feverishly, and began stroking it with the care one would use with a newborn child.

At the other end of the teashop, the waitress spluttered indignantly upon spotting the orange book, and returned to her duties with a huff.

"The 'secret ending' of Icha Icha paradise, never released to the public. Enjoy," Jiraiya grinned. The grin grew seeing that the man was too absorbed in the book to pay attention.

_It's nice to know that my work is appreciated. _Jiraiya thought happily, standing up from the table.

A moment later, Jiraiya walked out of the teashop, a gleam in his eyes that wasn't there when he first entered. Once he was sure that nobody was around, Jiraiya let out the grin he had suppressed. Finally. Something worthwhile to research. All this tranquility had made him restless.

_However.. _

Jiraiya's face darkened. This new information was vaguely disturbing. What was the Sand doing in an alliance with the Sound, a relatively new - and weak - village?

He knew one thing: he was only wasting time with speculation. What he needed was information. And he knew the one place where he could find it.

Suna.

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

* * *

"_Damn you..!" I scream._

_The __**S**__hinigami laughs cruelly, am_

_used at my anguish._

"_**Let's play again sometime, yellow-chan. Maybe then, you'll actually win." **_

* * *

**A/N (sry if it's a tad long..)**

Word Count: 5305

_Oyasuminasai _- good night

_Aishiteru_ - I love you (only used in serious situations)

Gaki - kid

Yeah! That's right people, I'M BACK! I knew that writing Weather-Beaten would help me. Just two days ago, a TTM muse hit me with the force of a jackhammer, and soon I was typing like crazy. I have no idea how it happened, but I'm really glad it has.

Also, I tweaked the ending a bit, so I'm estimating this story to be around.. 30 chapters long at most. UGH.

This chapter took so damn long to write. I had to redo it twice, and rewrite a lot of parts. Even now, I'm not totally satisfied with it. :/ Sorry if this chapter seems a bit short/not much development, but if I included the market scene, then this chapter would be 14 pages long instead of 9...

_The Dream:_

I enjoyed writing the dream. I told you that I would write gore. 'Sides, I like gore :) It's fun to write. Even the baby killing parts. :D

Any constructive criticism is welcomed with opened arms. ^^

~L. Syrup

**PS: **this is completely irrelevant to my story but I just recently discovered this amazing Naruto fanfic and an equally amazing author called **"These Are All Things You Don't Understand" by Novocain**.

It's M-rated for _'very extreme darkness such as pedophilia, prostitution, complete psychological mindfuckery and rather explicit sex.' _And I absolutely LOVE it! :D It's a Minato/Kakashi fic for those wondering. But the writing style is just so dark and gritty and I highly recommend those who can stomach the content to read it.


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